“And the Ikedrian? Elspethe?”
“She will help us as much as she can, Mother Dragon. She is a Turlach, and they are hard to kill.”
Kaerinth snorted. “You don’t have to convince me of that. I had to drive her ancestor toward the high elf battalion to get rid of her.” She was silent for a moment. “And when I do this, you will turn the orb over to me?”
Gin blanched a bit but held the Mother Dragon’s gaze. “Your Daelyth—we think, without Taeben’s influence—is the only one that knows the location of the orb at this time, my lady. I wish it were not so, because it puts the orb dangerously close to Taeben’s grasp. We must save her from him before it's too late, or the orb and the magic of Ikara will be in the wizard’s hands. Then we may talk about where to leave the orb—once Daelyth is safe, and Taeben is in the Void.”
Kaerinth put her face close to Gin’s. “I will not forget, Nature Walker. I will help, and then I will have the orb.”
Thirty-Eight
Daddy’s Little Wizard
Taeben had never known power as he had in the body of the golden dragon. He could fly. He could breathe—frost, apparently. He had access to an innate ability to form the bond and found that he did not have to do anything more than think of the person—or creature, in terms of Omerith—and it was done. He hadn’t had such clear insight into Gin’s mind since they were together at the embassy. She was with the Mother Dragon, but why? She was a distraction that he needed to free from his mind.
Daughter.
Taeben rolled his eyes. The red dragon was growing tiresome, and Taeben was undoubtedly weary of playing the part of the doting daughter.
Yes, father?
Are you all right this morning?
Indeed. How can I help you, father?
Daughter, I have been listening in on my mother, and I am concerned.
She has the Nature Walker and the Rajah, father.
Yes. Why? It makes no sense. Where did you send them when you transported them away?
Moment of truth. Taeben readied himself for Omerith’s outburst. I sent them to the Mother Dragon, father.
Why would you do that? They are our enemies, Dael!
Aye, father. She will take care of them.
Will they hurt her?
Do you really care, father?
Taeben could not have rolled the gold dragon’s eyes harder if they had been his own eyes in his own skull. Sentimentality toward Daelyth or toward the missing mate was one thing. He had not expected Omerith to harbor anything but ill will toward his mother, just as he did toward the Father Dragon. He had stopped paying attention to the answer from the red dragon because the back of his long, swan-like neck was tingling. Time to go back to the Void for a bit—the golden dragon had lasted about as long as she could with him in her mind before she started to flail against him. Last time, he had waited too long and had almost been discovered—she regained her ability to talk and had started pushing him out. He had barely enough time to get her back to her chambers and command her to sleep before he was pushed out of her mind and back into the Void.
Now he was just an observer, but he could still watch Omerith. He could again hear the red dragon through the bond as he tried to get his daughter to answer him. She was no longer able, it seemed unless he was using her mind and her voice. She was nowhere near as strong as Elspethe had been, or even—no, he could not let the wood elf distract him by even thinking her name. He decided to rest rather than listen further—it was likely to be no more than it ever was, Omerith begging his daughter to answer and Daelyth sleeping, unaware of anything going on around her.
Daelyth! Dael, answer me, answer your father! Omerith thundered down the hall. Too many times recently, she had shut him out, and he was not going to stand for it any longer. “Why would she ask if I care about my own mother?” He arrived at her chambers and found the door locked. Omerith lowered his head a moment as his belly glowed bright orange, building his reserve of fire before unleashing it against the great wooden door that barred his access to his daughter.
The door caught almost immediately—the dragon’s fire could destroy any substance, and the carved wooden door was reduced to ash in no time. He shook his head to clear it before entering Daelyth’s chambers—why had he not thought to do this before? Once inside, he sent a magical command and lit the torches in the room. Daelyth was curled up on a large cushion in the corner of the room. The fire in the hearth next to her was nearly out, and Omerith took a moment to breathe it back to life. He turned his head back to look at her and gasped at what he saw. She was not asleep, as he had guessed when he first entered the room.
Daelyth was seated on the cushion with her long neck curled around her midsection. Her eyes were open, staring off into nothingness. Omerith came closer to his daughter—she was still breathing, but her breath was shallow. He nudged her with his head, but she did not respond. He could feel her through the bond—weak but there.
Dael?
Papa? Where are you, Papa? Where am I?
You’re right here with me, my precious child.
Papa, I need to tell you where the orb is while he does not listen.
Who, Dael? While who does not listen?
Papa, the orb is not in the stronghold as you commanded—you will find it where Mama used to take me to see the drakes fly.
Dael, I have no time for riddles. What is going on?
Where. . .the drakes. . .fly, Papa!
And she was gone—not gone, but she was different, silent. Omerith removed his forehead from hers and looked at her. Something was happening. Had he imagined all of that? What had just happened? Why was his head feeling fuzzy suddenly? The red dragon retreated from his daughter’s side and left her chambers, creating a magical barrier across the door since he had burned it down—he burned it down? Who burned it down? Where do the drakes fly? Drakes—fly.
Taeben flew about the Void, furiously —had he a voice, he would have been screaming. The red dragon got too close and shut him out before he spoke to Daelyth. What had they talked about? How could she have blocked him out? Somewhere he had missed something—but that wasn’t like him at all. Taeben swirled around, retracing his steps, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong—but he really didn’t have time for that. He had to lock down the red dragon and do it fast.
He returned to Daelyth, not waking her as he crawled back into her mind. She would stay asleep, and he could make sure that Omerith was back in hand.
Father?
So I am Father to you now.
What is wrong? I must rest my body, father, but I cannot if I feel that you are upset.
My sweet daughter. I am not upset. I am worried about you and about my mother. If the Guardians have gone for the Mother Dragon, we do not have much time before they return and take the orb. Where did you say it was?
I fear that I should not tell you, father—what if Mother is listening? You said yourself that she would take the orb and use it to resurrect your father, and we cannot allow that to happen.
No, of course not. You are right, as always, my daughter.
This was a new sensation for Taeben. The red dragon had pushed him away and severed the bond with his own daughter. He knew about the deception! But how? A realization settled on him.“The Guardians are—Ginny, what have you done?” He sought out his apprentice, Elspethe, but could not find her. Had he left her locked up too long? Had she just ceased to be? No, she was still there somewhere, but she blocked him, just as Gin had done in the past. He could barely even tell if Elspethe was conscious or not. Taeben roared into the Void. This was NOT how it was supposed to happen! Something had to change and fast—he had put too much into this to see his plan fail. Not when he was this close to returning to life and having everything.
ELSPETHE.
I cannot, Master, I have no strength.
You cannot refuse me. Our souls are bonded.
I cannot help you, Master. I am sorry, but I cannot.
Taeben how
led off into the Void, to a dark place where he could sit and think. He was too far along to give up now. Once he was calm, he concentrated on Elspethe. If she did not lend him her strength, he would bring her there, to the Void, and he would take it from her.
You will not.
Who are you? Ikedrian accent yet unfamiliar voice.
You will do no more damage to my house, wizard. I am Ayna Turlach, and I am gathering the strength of our Elspethe’s ancestors. We will not allow you to win.
In desperation, Taeben latched onto Elspethe’s mind and pulled, and before long, she was on the ground in front of his non-corporeal form, her face pressed into the dirt. “My dark flower, it has been too long.” Slowly she picked up her head and looked at him—and then smiled.
NOW, NATURE WALKER!
“What are you saying? What have you done?” Taeben channeled his anger into his magic, surrounding Ellie with enchanted lightning. Ellie screamed and struggled, but could not free herself from the pain. And as quickly as she had appeared at his feet, other Ikedrians appeared, all of them phantoms just like Taeben himself—and they hurled themselves at him, breaking his concentration and ending the assault on Ellie. She fell to the ground but soon staggered back to her feet.
“You will not end the House of Turlach, wizard. I warned you.” Ayna stood before him, made slightly less transparent by the magic humming between her and the other members of her house that had joined her in the Void. “Our destiny is interwoven with that of the Nature Walker line, and you will not have another chance to hurt that family. Our two houses stand united, even if only here in the Void.” Others stood with them, just out of sight—there was Gin’s annoying sister Lairky, and that must be her older brother, Cursik, standing just behind an exact copy of Ellie—her twin sister Maelfie. Next to Maelfie stood the shade of her brother, Kamendar, who had a hand on Lairky’s shoulder. All of them glared at him—projecting the magic of the Void against him, holding him fast where he was, keeping him out of Ellie’s mind, or anyone’s still in the plane of the living. “Hold him here, my kin, and I will take our Ellie back to where she can help the most.” The shades nodded, never taking their horrible dead eyes off of Taeben—who screamed and howled as he spun himself into a frenzy, yet unable to do anything to stop them.
THIS IS NOT OVER, GINNY! I WILL COME FOR YOU, AND THIS TIME I WILL KILL YOU! I SWEAR!
Gin looked up as the stinging in her neck faded away and smirked.
Shut up, Ben. May the gods have mercy on your soul, because my tolerance for you has run out.
Thirty-Nine
Flights of Fancy
“Ellie says to go now, Sath. They have him—the wizard—in the Void.” Gin looked up at him as her mouth began to tug upward into a smile. “She says they are all there, Sath, the ancestors, House Turlach and the Nature Walker Line, and they are holding him back.”
“Can you port the three of us to La’al Drygyr?” If the wizard was already imprisoned in the Void that would make their work even simpler—walk in, find out where the orb was, walk out. Very easy—and very unlike any plan they had ever undertaken. Something had to be missing.
“I don’t know, I didn’t even know it existed before a few days ago.” Gin frowned. “We could ask Kaerinth to—oh, no, I have a better idea.” She sat down on the ground between Sath and Nelenie. “Sit close to me, and if I tell you to hang on to me, you do it immediately, understand?” They nodded in response as they sat down close to her. “Now then -”
Omerith? It is I, the Nature Walker, fellow Guardian. I need you to pull me, the Rajah, and the First Caeth of Alynatalos to where you are, via the bond. Please. It is a matter of life and death.
Yes, Ginolwenye of the Trees. I will help you—I need your healing magic for Daelyth. Make sure that all are close to you. There was a long pause. Who is this other you mention? I cannot find her.
She does not know how to use the bond, Omerith. It was decided not to teach her at this time to keep her safe from those that would use the bond to malicious ends.
Fair enough. I cannot bring her without the bond, Nature Walker, but I can bring you and the Rajah.
A moment, Omerith.
Sath frowned as Gin looked at Nelenie. “We have a problem. Because Nel cannot form the bond, Omerith cannot bring her to him.” She thought for a moment, and then returned to the bond.
Omerith, if you can see through another’s eyes, could you use magic to bring another to where you are?
Possibly, yes. I have never tried it over such a distance, but I am willing to -
There was suddenly another presence in the bond, an ancient and very powerful presence that seemed to eclipse Omerith’s answer before it was finished.
Oh, stop it, the pair of you. I will bring the Caeth if you allow me to come to your territory, my son? Though I admit that I cannot believe I have to ask at all.
Gin’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked at Sath. Clearly, Kaerinth had not included him in the bond this time. “What?”
“Nel, the Mother Dragon has offered to fly you up to La’al Drygyr if you will allow her?”
“She wants the orb, Gin, it is not safe.” Sath looked back and forth from Gin to Nelenie. “She will pick up Nelenie here and take her off somewhere and hold her hostage for -”
Mother, I am not sure that I can trust the safety of this female to you. I know what you want to do with the orb.
My offer is on the table, my son. You may take it or leave it.
Mother, can your daughter Embyr fly?
Yes, but she is not strong enough to carry the First Caeth.
Is Embyr with you now?
Yes—why do you ask, my son?
Omerith used all of the Guardians’ combined strength to pull Embyr from M’aanyr up to his home in La’al Drygyr through the bond. She heard the scream of the Mother Dragon and felt her fury. She felt Embyr’s childlike joy at the new experience. Sath was aghast; clearly, he had felt the same things. Only Nelenie was left in the dark, looking back and forth from Gin to Sath in utter discombobulation.
Omerith, my son, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
I have tipped the scales in my favor, Mother. Now you may bring the Caeth to me, and when she is here safely, you may have Embyr back. She is safe here with me—I bear my half-sister no ill will, and she will reside in Daelyth’s chambers with my poor daughter until you arrive.
The bond with the Mother Dragon severed. Gin looked over at Nelenie, who was staring at her. “Well? What did they decide, Gin?”
“Kaerinth will take you to La’al Drygyr, Nel.”
“But Sath said -”
“Yes, and I shared his concern at the time, but Omerith has made sure he has the leverage to ensure your safety during that journey. You must be brave.”
Nelenie scoffed. “I am always brave.” Gin chuckled as she took her oldest friend’s hands in hers. “And Mother instructed me that I am to follow the orders of the Nature Walker on this mission, so if you say I’m riding a dragon, then that’s what I’m doing.” She squeezed Gin’s hands before releasing them, and then took a step backward. “I don’t know how to contact her, so if you would let Lady Kaerinth know that I am ready, please?” Again, Gin noticed that Nelenie was still—not even a tiny tremor of fear. Her gaze was steady, and to the south—and her hand was on the hilt of her sword. She was every inch the First Caeth of Alynatalos.
My lady Kaerinth, the First Caeth is -
I know. I heard. I am on my way—but tell her I will carry her to my son. NO ONE rides on my back.
Yes, my lady.
Gin withdrew and turned back to Nelenie. “She is en route—and she wants me to tell you that she will carry you to La’al Drygyr. She will not be ridden.” Sath stifled a laugh, but Nelenie’s expression did not change. “We will wait here until she comes, Nel, and then go to Omerith through the bond.”
“Thank you, Nature Walker, but that will not be necessary. You must go as soon as he can assist you. I will be fine.” Gin opened her mo
uth to argue, but Sath shook his head. He understood this Nelenie in a way that Gin would not ever be able to do. She was a soldier and a fighter, and she was resigned to her fate—happy about it, even, because it meant doing her duty.
“Alert the red dragon, Gin. Nelenie is right. We need to go.”
Gin had barely given Omerith the okay before she and Sath winked out of existence in M’aanyr and reappeared in La’al Drygyr. She felt it when they passed through the Void, and she could almost imagine her family there as she and Sath whizzed by—Cursik and Lairky stood together with several Ikedrians, all staring intently at something behind Gin. She tried to look over her shoulder, but by the time her eyes had focused, she was looking at Omerith. They landed just in front of his sizeable clawed foot, and it was enough of a sight to drive both of them back a step or two.
“I am glad you are here, Ginolwenye of the Trees.” His voice boomed in Gin’s ears, and she covered them for a moment. The red dragon lowered his head to look at her more closely. “I am sorry for hurting your ears again. I find that I am louder in other languages than I am in my native Eldyr.”
Gin shook her head. “It’s all right, Omerith,” she said as she took a few deep breaths. “How may I help your child?”
Omerith hung his head. “I am not sure that you can, but I am grateful that you are willing to try. She is—not herself, and I fear it is from the wizard being in control of her mind. She does not respond to me, she only stares. I understand that you were once in her position, were you not?” Gin nodded. Sath growled low in his chest.
“I will go to her. In the meantime, perhaps you and Sath should discuss the plan to retrieve the orb?” Omerith nodded, and Gin headed for the door, smiling as she saw Raikyth waiting for her there. “You will take me to Daelyth’s chambers?” The dragonkind nodded and beamed a grin at her before leading her out the door. Sath turned his attention back to Omerith.
Darkness: A Guardians of Orana Novel Page 33